Vending-machine.



No. 846,856. I PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907 A. SMITH.

VENDING MACHINE. APPLIUATION FILED APB;.26,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

"ms NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, v. c.

PATENTED MAR. .5. 1907.

Y No. 846,356.

A. SMITH. VENDING MACHINE. nrmcgnon FILED APR.26.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

(Inventor.

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ADELBERT SMITH, OF SEWARD, NEW YORK.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed April 26,1904. Serial No. 205,007.

To (.tZZ whont it ntcty concern:

Be it known that I, ADELBERT SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Seward, in the county of Schoharie and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Vending-Machine, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of coincontrolled apparatusdesigned and adapted for the sale of cigars, chewing-gum, and simi larlight articles.

The object of the inventionis a device of this character containing butlittle mechanism, and that of the simplest character, thereby providinga vending-machine which can be built at a small cost and which is notliable to get out of order and which if broken may be easily and cheaplyrepaired.

The invention also consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts hereinafter described, particularly pointed out in the claims, andshown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of my vending-machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through themachine. Fig. 3 is a section on an irregular line taken horizontallythrough the lower portion of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing theside guide arranged in the inclined portion of the goods-chute. Fig. 5is a detail perspective view showing the adjustable guide arranged inthe vertical portion of the goods-chute. Fig. 6 is a detail plan view ofthe bar supporting the guide, parts being broken off and the guide beingshown in cross-section. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the lowerend of the coinchute and the tripper-bar pivoted below the chute, thewhole being shown removed from the machine.

In the drawings, A represents a casing of any desired size, shape, andmaterial. I have shown such a casing divided by a vertical partition Binto two separate vending-machines, cigars being vended from one of thecompartments or sides and chewing-gum from the other, and the operatingmechanism is practically duplicated on each side of the partition B. Thecasing A is further subdivided by a vertical partition C, extending fromside to side of the machine and at right angles to the partitionB. Thepartition C divides the machines or casing A into front comone on eachside of the partition B. The partition B extends vertically from top tobottom of the casing A; but the partition C is arranged vertically inthe middle body portion of the casing and is thence angled outwardly orforwardly, as shown at C in Fig. 2, and at its lower end it is alsobrought forwardly and downwardly, as shown at C and at its lower forwardend it connects with the curved metal plate G which extends to thebottom and front of the machine and forms an upwardly open trough G,into which the goods vended are delivered.

A front E is secured to the casing A in advance of and practicallyparallel with the various portions O, C, and C of the partition abovedescribed, and portions of this front may be formed of glass panels E,as shown in the drawings. The space inclosed between the front E and thepartition-walls C, C, and C will he termed the goods-chute.

Referring to details of construction, in the upper forward portion ofthe casing A an in clined base F is supported above the partition-wall Cand is adapted to support a cigar-box F, cut out in the bottom adjacentone end to aline with the upper end of the goods-chute. To properlyguide the cigars down this chute and also to accommodate the chute tocigars of various lengths, I provide transverse metal bars G, extendingcrosswise of the chute and slotted, as shown at G, a slot being formedadjacent each end of the bar, and I provide guide-bars H, adapted torest vertically in the sides of the goodschute and havinginwardly-projecting arms H, connected rigidly to the guide-bars H andadapted to slide on the bars G, to which they are connected by screws,the shanks of which work in the slots G, allowing a limited movement ofthe guide-bars H and arms H. The uppermost arm H has a wire J connectedthereto, a wire and arm being arranged on each side of the goods-chute,and the wire J passes downward in advance of the partition-wall C, andunder the lower arm H, above the Wall O and in advance of the arm H,last mentioned, the wire is bent back upon itself and curved upwardlyand forwardly, as shown at J.

To the upper ends of the vertical guidebars H are hinged the guide-armsH which project into that portion of the goods-chute partments, in whichthe goods to be vended l formed by the wall C and the front of the arecontained, and the rear compartments, in which I have shown verticalcoin-chutes D,

casing parallel to said wall, and it is understood that the guides H andarms H lie adjacent the sides of the casing A and are movable towardeach other. It is evident, there fore, that by adjusting the guide-barsH toward or away from each other the width of the goods-chute isdecreased or increased, and goods, such as cigars, of various lengthsare accommodated with a passage-way of the proper width. The cigars orother articles fill the goods-chute, being arranged in verticalalinement between the walls C and the front E, and after passing intothe portion of the chute between the glass panel E and the wall C theytravel between the said wall and the wires J, the latter pressingsufficiently upon the goods to prevent their displacement. The deliverymechanism is as fol lows: A shaft K is arranged in the casing A parallelto the rear wall of the casing and slightly in advance of the coin-chuteD. A lever L is pivoted intermediate its ends on the shaft K, the leverbeing duplicated for each coin-chute, and the rear end of the lever liesimmediately below and in alinement with the lower end of the coin-chute.The forward end of the lever supports a wire frame M, originallyrectangular in shape and hav ing one-half of the frame bentlongitudinally at right angles to the other half. The free ends of thewire forming the frame are twisted to form a supporting-leg M, which legis pivoted to the front end of the lever L, and the frame M tends bygravity to tilt forwardly. This frame is projected upwardly through aslot N, formed in the wall C the upper bent portion lying norm allyflush with the upper surface of the wall C A fender O is arranged on thewall C immediately in advance of the slot N. The upper portion of thechute D is curved, and when the chute is designed for the reception offive-cent pieces O, and the article will roll into the trough C fromwhich it is removed by the purchaser. The coin will fall from the end ofthe lever L into a coin-box P, and the parts will assume their originalposition by action of gravity. No springs, gears, pawls, or ratchets areemployed, and there is but little mechanism to get out of order, and thearrangement of the parts are so simple that they can be easily repairedor replaced. It will be obvious that as many goods-chutes may bearrangedin a casing as in ay be desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. A vending-machine comprising a goodschute,inwardly-movable guide-b ars arranged .within the chute,inwardly-extending arms carried by the guidebars, guide-rods carried bythe arms and parallel to the front of the chute, and means fordelivering goods from the said chute.

2. A vending-m achine comprising a goodschute angled at its lower end, atrough upwardly open in advance of the lower end of the chute, the rearwall of the chute being slotted in the angled portion, adjustableguide-bars arranged in the chute and adapted to vary the width of same,wires carried by the said bars and running lengthwise of the chute, afender arranged in the chute in advance of the slot, and means workingthrough the slot adapted to lift articles to be vended to a plane abovethe upper edge of the fender, as and for the purpose set forth.

ADELBERT SMITH.

Witnesses:

IIWIN F. WINNIE, DAVID WINNE.

